Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-11-24

i government made soldiers of them"
"Grann ps, you know heap things, tell
me more" "Well, dear, when 1 was a
little boy like your, Howard, those Choc-
taw and Greek Indians l told you Of had
become civilized and lived in Mississippi
and l used to hunt with them and they
made me blow guns out OF reed canes
and arrows Of cane and thistle and rabbit
! hair, and we could kill birds and squirrels
with them" "Grsndps, git me some"
''N0, dear, the general government bought
their lands snd Captain Tom Goyne and
old Uncle Mike Hammond were employed
to move them from Mississippi to the
Indian Nation. There they went to farm
ing, and Colonel Ellis and Colonel Harri-
sop, forty years ago, sold them rifles and
they would not make blow-guns any
more" "Do on, danps, you know 50
much things" ''Yes, dear, to your young
mind, but now it seems to me as part 8
dream, yet it is the history Of the past.
Well, these Indians made arroW-heads
out of fiintrocKs, some Of them l showed
you at the Dallas fair, and we then had to
take our POCKET knives and a piece of punk
or rotten wood that grows On old trees, put
rotten wood or e cotton string by the
side OF the flint and strike it with the
steel part of our pocket knife, and make
light; there were no sulphur matches
then" "Grandps, how you make light
when little sister cried at night?" Well,
We had tallow candle, End usually kept
some fat pine spIinters, covered up the
Goals in the ashes in big dirt chimney,
and when the children walked
either grandma quoted them in the
dark, (ittle children we're not
sfrsid Of the dark, and we did not
have gas, nor coal oil lamps, nor beauti-
full base burner stoves like these st Mr.
Lake's), or grandpa got up from bed, got
the splInters, uncovered the Goals Of fire,
got down OF his knees and holding the
splinters against the live Goals, bowed
with his mouth just as you do when you
play "My Eye and BETTE Martini" up
went the blaze, and we put on
some pine-knots inst made Pickering
light, and baby cooed and talked baby
talk TO the light and those proud people
watched thstslittle boy and planned for
its future just as happy as our
children do now in more gorgeous sur
roundings. "GEandpa, where is that baby
now?" "Oh, darling you know not what
you ask" "Don'G cry grandpa, he come
back" ''No, no, my child; part OF those
same Spaniards WHO had been so kind to
give US lands made Tar on the people OF
Texas and ne went out with Colonel Sam
McKneeley and young William Ripley,sn
We never saw him any more; the other
like many a young generous SoutheTner
answered General Taylor's call to fight
those Spanisrds again, We did not have
cartridge rifles, but old flint and steel
horse pistols. One night it rained,
next day there was great fight
and his regiment, the Texas rangers,
were sent out scouting to find the enemy;
his pistol beng wet the flint would not
strike fire and Mexican speared him
with q lancet, IS his colonel said, with
his face to the foe. When the fight was
Won General Walter ?. Lane went and
hunted the graves Of our other boy and
his murdered companions, and made the
AlcaIde set men to dig up the bones;
tIe05 they brought cut of Mexico and
Iziu in an nOnored soldiers grave in our
native lsnd."
"What else grand PSF" The deguerreo-
type, telegraph, railroads, street cars,
sewing and washing machines, chloro-
form, reapers sud binders, sulky ploWs,
cotton sCrspers, steel pens, cheap writing
paper, the needle gua, centrlpetal
force for graduating sugar, public
schools, machinery for making cloth
in three hours tnat took three days
to make fifty years ago; electric light,
dynamite aud many other things have
been invented and discovered since was
little child like you, and IS l think Of
what have seen IN all these years, of
what education, love and justice have
done in our grest country, feel that my
years should be counted nearer 200 Than
little over half century With that
time a cruel, fierce, bloody war was
Wsged between brothers for four long
years where 1854 900 of the bravest men
the world ever saw fought and
bled aud died for an honest conviction,
and failed No less than double that num-
Der of red flag anarchists dare wound g
star or ST Uf the old flag, or the descend
ants of those grand men Will soon teach
the G0broeskies, Kiloskies, and Open
heimers for whom It Was that Jefferson
designed this country. Yes, my child,
and see in this Christian country the IN
surpassed example of al ages-Cnristian-
ity spreading her white wings over all this
land, teaching to the heather and to the
Comanches who forty years sgo ran red
handed with war paint, aud with deadly
hate and murder in his heart, where we
now sit in our quiet home talking of
the grand events the past and of the
brave men whose valcr made it possible
for US to enjoy this be- utiful country of
churches, hospitals, benevolent sssocia-
tions and all that makes life lovely and
country great. Yes, dear, the pres cher
rightly said we have innumerable things
to be thankful for to-day. and let US con-
tinue our thanks day by day end give hon.
or, love and obedience through Him who
suffered more than we sll together
Y, Y.
November "a, 1887.